How to Flourish: What Research Tells Us
- Human Flourishing Program Team
- May 23
- 14 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
What helps people flourish? Research points to a number of simple practices and commitments that can support happiness, health, meaning, character, and close relationships.
The activities below are practical, accessible, and grounded in scientific research. They are organized into four groups: cognitive exercises, behaviors you can change, relational and institutional practices, and resources for psychological distress. This summary is based on the article Activities for flourishing: an evidence-based guide, by Tyler VanderWeele.
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Cognitive Exercises
Cognitive exercises can help orient the mind toward what is good: gratitude looks to the good in the past, savoring attends to the good in the present, and imagining one’s best possible self reflects on the good that may be pursued in the future.
Gratitude
Gratitude exercises often involve writing down things one is grateful for. In one randomized trial, participants reflected once per week on five things they were grateful for and wrote them down for ten consecutive weeks. Compared with other groups, they reported higher gratitude, better feelings about life as a whole, fewer physical symptom complaints, and more and better sleep (Emmons and McCullough, 2003).
Another exercise asked participants to write down three things that went well each day and their causes for one week. Those assigned to this exercise had higher happiness and lower depressive symptoms, even six months later (Seligman, Steen, Park, and Peterson, 2005). A meta-analysis suggests that gratitude exercises tend to increase gratitude and psychological well-being more generally (Davis et al., 2016).
A simple practice is to write down or share with a partner three things one is grateful for once a week.
Savoring and Recognizing the Good
Savoring is the capacity to attend to, appreciate, and enhance positive experiences in one’s life (Bryant and Veroff, 2007). It can include thinking about positive events, noticing what is good in the present, becoming more attentive to a positive experience, or sharing and celebrating something good.
Evidence from meta-analyses of randomized savoring intervention studies suggests modest effects on increasing happiness and life satisfaction (Smith et al., 2014). In one experiment, participants were asked to take a 20-minute walk each day for one week. Some were also instructed to notice as many positive things around them as possible. Those who noticed what was good around them reported higher happiness at the end of the study (Bryant and Veroff, 2007).
Because savoring is simple and can be practiced throughout the day, it is an accessible way to enhance well-being.
Imagining One’s Best Possible Self
Some research suggests that imagining and writing about one’s best possible self can increase aspects of well-being (King, 2001; Boehm, Lyubomirsky, and Sheldon, 2011; Layous, Nelson, and Lyubomirsky, 2013).
The exercise typically asks people to imagine that life in the future has gone as well as it possibly could, that they have worked hard and accomplished their goals, and then to write about what they imagined. This can include family, friends, career, health, hobbies, goals, character, and other areas of life.
Evidence from small randomized trials suggests positive effects on happiness and life satisfaction, optimism, and possibly health. A meta-analysis of 10 trials also found effects on increasing optimism (Malouff and Schutte, 2017). The exercise may be strengthened by writing about goals, plans, and actions that could help one move toward the envisioned future.
Behaviors You Can Change
Behavioral activities can also enhance well-being. These include using one’s character strengths, carrying out acts of kindness, and volunteering. These activities are oriented toward what is good in oneself, what is good for others, and what is good for the community.
Use of Character Strengths
There is some quantitative evidence that the exercise of virtue can contribute to greater happiness. One intervention asks people to identify their five central character strengths and then use one of these strengths in a new way every day for one week.
In a randomized trial, those assigned to do this had higher happiness and lower depressive symptoms, even six months later (Seligman et al., 2005). A meta-analysis across nine trials found similar effects on happiness and life satisfaction (Schutte and Malouff, 2019).
Try the VIA Survey of Character Strengths, which is freely available to everyone.
Acts of Kindness
Acts of kindness can increase the well-being of others and may also increase one’s own well-being. A few small randomized trials suggest that carrying out several acts of kindness each week over several weeks can increase happiness and life satisfaction, and make one feel more engaged, less anxious, and more connected (Buchanan and Bardi, 2010; Ouweneel, Le Blanc, and Schaufeli, 2014; Kerr, O’Donovan, and Pepping, 2015).
There is preliminary evidence that doing five acts of kindness on a single day, once per week for six weeks, may affect well-being more powerfully than spreading those acts throughout the week (Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, and Schkade, 2005). A meta-analysis across 27 trials found effects on happiness and positive emotions (Curry et al., 2018).
Acts of kindness may also encourage others to act kindly, allowing kindness to continue to spread (Fowler and Christakis, 2010; Jordan, Rand, Arbesman, Fowler, and Christakis, 2013; Chancellor, Margolis, and Lyubomirsky, 2018).
Volunteering
Volunteering can be understood as a commitment to repeated acts of kindness directed toward the life of a community. Volunteer organizations can also provide social connection and common purpose.
Observational studies, meta-analyses, and some small randomized trials suggest that those regularly engaged in volunteering tend to be happier, have more social activities, have better physical and mental health, and live longer (Okun, Yeung, and Brown, 2013; Anderson et al., 2014; Pool, Agyemang, and Smalbrugge, 2017; Post, 2017).
One study found that adolescents assigned to 10 weeks of volunteer activity had better cardiovascular health markers at follow-up (Schreier, Schonert-Reichl, and Chen 2013). Another found that older adults assigned to help young children for 15 hours a week for one year had higher self-reported generativity during follow-up (Gruenewald et al., 2016).
Relational and Institutional Practices
Some relational and institutional commitments can substantially contribute to human flourishing, if and when participation in them is appropriate. These include, but are not limited to, work, marriage, and religious community. Many of these commitments cannot be randomized, but they have been studied in rigorous observational research.
Job Crafting
Work involves joining others in contributing to meeting the needs and desires of human society. Research suggests that the decision to work improves life satisfaction, mental and physical health, and relationship satisfaction, while the loss of a job, on average, impairs these outcomes (McKee-Ryan, Song, Wanberg, and Kinicki, 2005; VanderWeele, 2017a; Paul and Moser, 2009).
Job crafting is an approach to making work better by reflecting on one’s work and taking action to: structure tasks more effectively, improve social relationships at work, and find meaning and purpose in the work being done (Wrzesniewski and Dutton, 2001).
Longitudinal studies and meta-analysis suggest that job crafting increases work engagement and performance and may also affect meaning in work and psychological well-being (Frederick and VanderWeele, 2018).
Religious Service Attendance
A considerable body of research suggests that religious service attendance affects health and other aspects of flourishing, including meaning in life, character, and close social relationships (Koenig, King, and Carson, 2012; Li et al., 2016ab; VanderWeele et al., 2016, 2017; VanderWeele, 2017abc).
Research has indicated that those who attend religious services at least weekly are about 30% less likely to die over a 10- to 20-year follow-up, about 30% less likely to become depressed, and over five times less likely to commit suicide (Chida et al., 2009; Li et al., 2016ab; VanderWeele et al., 2016).
This evidence comes from observational data, not randomized trials. However, even using very rigorous methodology, taking into account whether changes in attendance precede health or vice versa, the associations between religious service attendance and better mental and physical health appear to be robust.
For those who already positively identify with a religious tradition, attending services could be encouraged as a meaningful form of social participation that is central to most religious groups and that also affects numerous aspects of human flourishing.
Marriage and Relationship Quality
Marriage and relationship quality are important determinants of happiness and many other aspects of human flourishing for spouses and children (Waite and Gallagher, 2000; Wilcox et al., 2011; VanderWeele, 2017a).
Evidence from longitudinal studies suggests that marriage, compared with being single or cohabiting, is associated with better physical health, greater happiness and life satisfaction, less depression, more meaning in life, greater financial stability, and closer relationships (Marks and Lambert, 1998; Waite and Gallagher, 2000; Wilson and Oswald, 2005; Kaplan and Kronick, 2006; Manzoli, Villari, Pirone, and Boccia, 2007; Wood, Goesling, and Avellar, 2007; Wilcox et al., 2011).
Marriage may not be the right decision for everyone, and studying its effects is difficult because people who marry may differ from those who do not. Still, the evidence suggests that the commitment of marriage itself may contribute to flourishing.
Research also indicates that divorce is associated longitudinally with poorer mental and physical health, lower happiness, lower purpose in life, poorer relationship quality, poorer outcomes for children, and greater poverty for children and mothers (Marks and Lambert, 1998; Waite and Gallagher, 2000; Wilcox et al., 2011). In cases of infidelity or abuse, decisions about divorce or staying married are especially difficult. Efforts to improve communication and relationship quality before relationships deteriorate may benefit spouses and children.
Ways to Address Psychological Distress
Some books and workbooks can help address psychological distress. The examples below concern depression, anxiety, and forgiveness. These resources are not substitutes for professional care when professional care is needed.
Depression Recovery
Depression is one of the most common mental health issues. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to be effective in alleviating depression in randomized trials (Cuijpers, Cristea, Karyotaki, Reijnders, and Huibers, 2016).
The principles of cognitive behavioral therapy have also been used in self-help books. Feeling Good by David Burns has been tested in several randomized trials, and a meta-analysis indicated that use of the book has considerable effects on alleviating depression (Anderson et al., 2005).
The book is not a substitute for a trained therapist, and severe depression should be addressed with professional help. Existing evidence suggests it may help alleviate milder depressive symptoms.
Anxiety Recovery
Cognitive behavioral therapy interventions have also been developed to treat anxiety, and many have been found effective in randomized trials (Cuijpers et al., 2016). Self-help, workbook, computer-based, and internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy interventions have also been shown to help alleviate anxiety, and in some contexts are almost as effective as face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy (Haug, Nordgreen, Öst, and Havik, 2012).
A popular self-help book on cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety, Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic by Barlow and Craske (2007), was evaluated in one very small randomized trial. Its use on its own was found to be nearly as effective as use of the book complemented by in-person sessions with a therapist (Hecker, Loses, Fritzler, and Fink, 1996).
Further randomized trial evidence would be desirable. Anxiety disorders should be addressed with the help of a professional.
Forgiveness
Research indicates that forgiving others for wrongs they have done is generally associated with better mental health, greater hope, and possibly better physical health (Wade, Hoyt, Kidwell, and Worthington, 2014; Toussaint et al., 2015; VanderWeele, 2018).
Forgiveness, understood as replacing ill-will with good-will toward the offender, is different from condoning, reconciling, or not demanding justice. One can forgive while still pursuing a just outcome.
Forgiveness interventions have been shown in randomized trials to increase forgiveness, decrease depression and anxiety, and increase hope (Wade et al., 2014). Most require a therapist or counselor, but a workbook intervention has been shown to be effective in a small randomized trial (Harper et al., 2014). Learn more about the Human Flourishing Program's Global Forgiveness Movement.
Conclusion
The research summarized here suggests that flourishing can be supported through simple activities and meaningful commitments: gratitude, savoring, imagining one’s best possible self, using character strengths, practicing kindness, volunteering, shaping work in more meaningful ways, participating in appropriate relational and institutional commitments, and using evidence-based resources for psychological distress.
These practices are not the whole of flourishing, and they do not replace professional care when needed. But the evidence suggests that they can help promote important aspects of well-being, including happiness and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships.
Receive Tyler's monthly insight and research updates from the Human Flourishing Program team.
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